MacBook on life support, but Apple not pulling the plug yet

The lonely white polycarbonate MacBook that still remains in Apple's otherwise …

Apple has kept the classic white plastic MacBook around as a sub-$1000 (well, barely) option in its notebook lineup ever since the introduction of the aluminum "unibody" MacBook last fall. While the aluminum 13" model recently graduated to "pro" status, the lonely MacBook has sat by seemingly ignored, languishing without significant updates. That won't last for long, though, if the latest rumor is to be believed.

According to anonymous sources speaking to AppleInsider, the MacBook is currently "undergoing an industrial design overhaul." The laptop will reportedly get some internal rejiggering along with a sleeker, lighter enclosure. With the redesign will come a lower price, as well.

AppleInsider suggests that the lower price will come as a result of some trade-offs in the hardware architecture. Apple would likely use lower-end Core 2 Duo chips from Intel and could likely ditch the FireWire ports. We wouldn't be surprised to see Apple dump the optical drive too, adding further cost and weight savings, nor would it be unusual if Apple designed in a non-removeable battery. (Heck, throw in a physically smaller screen, and you'd pretty much have yourself an Apple netbook.)

The white MacBook has been one of Apple's best selling products since the heady days of the Apple II and, despite the move to the aluminum unibody construction for the rest of its laptop line, the lowly MacBook still continues to sell well. With nearly 60 percent of back-to-school shoppers looking to spend less than $750 on a new laptop, though, shaving a couple hundred bucks off the MacBook might make even more students and budget shoppers lean towards a Mac instead of a Windows- or Linux-based alternative.